Welcome to the World's First Great Big Vegetable Challenge! Six years ago we went on a vegetable journey of a lifetime. A 7 year year old boy named Freddie and his mother faced up to the challenge of turning him from a Vegetable-Phobic into a boy who will eat and even enjoy some of life's leafier pleasures. We ate through the alphabet of vegetables...and returned to tell the tale. Join our Great Big Veg Challenge!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

T is for Turnip - or Rutabaga

Sorry about the delay. Before we started on turnips, we had to clear up some confusion. Are turnips different to swedes? After consulting several gardeners I was told that the swede is in fact a Swedish turnip. In America they are known as rutabaga. To add to the confusion, in Scotland the swede is often referred to as a turnip or neep. I found a fascinating book by Marwood Yeatman, ‘The Last Food of England. He writes that swedes are ‘the product of an accidental cross with cabbage’, arriving in England in the 1800's. So there was much relief in our house as this means we can deal with Swede turnips at the same time as any other turnips: two for the price of one. Freddie and I went to the supermarket to buy our turnips. We took a strong hessian bag and planned to take the bus back home. But when we eventually found our turnips, we were surprised. These were dainty little creatures, with pale skin and a tinge of purple around the top - small enough to fit in the palm of Freddie’s hand. We bought a bag full. Next to them were the larger, dark yellow swedes. Even they looked small compared with the cannon balls I remember as a child. For our first turnip I used the swede. Freddie had tried swede before and hadn’t liked it. How do you turn something like Swede into something that looks like fast food? I cut it into thin sticks tossed them in olive oil and a little sea salt and baked them in the oven for 20 minutes. There is a point every evening, about 20 minutes before supper is ready, when the children come in and hunt for snacks. I shoo them out of the kitchen.

I left the turnip fries, arranged them in a ramekin and left them on the kitchen table. At snacking time, Alex and Freddie came in. They scurried around like mice looking for scraps and discovered the turnip fries. Freddie thought they were potato fries. I said nothing and pretended not to notice. When they were finished I asked him for his score. “Those were made from swede?” said Freddie. “That is definitely ten out of ten.” Turnip - the ultimate fast food! Oven-baked Swede FriesServes 4 as a side dish

Preheat the oven to 200C. Peel the swedes and cut in half. Slice each half into even slices, 1.5 cm thick. Then slice those into sticks, like French fries. Place them on a baking tray and add the olive oil. Mix round with your hands so that the swede sticks are well-coated. Sprinkle the sea salt over evenly. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Half way through cooking, take out the tray and turn the sticks with a fish-slice so that both sides cook. Take care to make sure the fries become crispy but do not burn. Serve hot with some ketchup for dipping.

14 comments:

I used to hate swede, I found it too sweet for my tastes. We always had it mashed with butter and black pepper, served with christmas dinner. These days I quite like it mashed this way. The fries look delicious though!

i recently discovered doing swede like this. the only other way i used to have it was as mash. but i love the way roasting them changed the flavour to something different than when you have it as mash.

i find the same applies to celeriac. i roast that like this too. i love celeriac like this but hate it any other way.

Did you know that, in Scotland, it was traditional until fairly recently to carve your Halloween 'Jack'o Lantern' from a Swede/Neep? (call it whatever you want). I remember my Dad doing it. I'm intrigued by baking it though. I've had it steamed with plenty of butter and black pepper with haggis and mash loads of times, but never though about making it into oven chips.

Hi Charlotte - love the blog and your fantastic efforts in getting Freddie to try new things. I always have my swede mashed with carrot and a touch of nutmeg and melted butter. Kids usually love the bright orange colour and the mash texture.

Charlotte,These look absolutely wonderful. And a ten out of ten to boot? Fantastic. I love this blog and your spirit, and your children. Great idea about putting these swede fries out for when the kids come home and are starving. I'd like them too. Looking forward to your book! All the best.